Why do ants walk in a long line?
Read an Informational Passage · ELPAC Grade 1 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
A longer factual text, with questions about the main idea, supporting details and vocabulary.
Read the passage. Then answer the questions. On the real test a grade 1 student reads this kind of text on their own, so let your child read it first and help only with a word they are stuck on. The pictures are described after the passage.
How Ants Find Food
Ants live together in a nest. One ant goes out to look for food. When it finds food, it walks straight back to the nest. As it walks, it leaves a smell on the ground. The other ants smell the trail and follow it. That is why ants walk in a long line. Together they carry the food home.
Read panel descriptions
Picture one: a small hill of dirt with a hole in the top. Ants go in and out of the hole.
Picture two: one ant stands on a sidewalk next to a big crumb of bread.
Picture three: a long line of ants walks one behind the other. Each ant carries a piece of the crumb toward the hill of dirt.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Why do ants walk in a long line?
- The nest is far away from the food.
- They are all following the same smell.Correct answer
- They are looking for water.
- They are following the biggest ant.
Why “They are all following the same smell.” is correct
This is a cause question, and the text marks the cause with the words "That is why" — everything the reader needs sits in the sentence before them. Show your child those three words and read the sentence in front of them again. Noticing that a writer can point backwards like this is a habit that pays off in every science text they will meet later.
Why the other answers are wrong
- The nest is far away from the food. — The text never says how far the food is, and distance is not what makes the ants line up one behind the other.
- They are looking for water. — Water is not mentioned at all. The ants in this text are out looking for food.
- They are following the biggest ant. — The text says the other ants follow a smell, not an ant, and it never says which ant is biggest. Children who remember that one ant went first sometimes pick this, so ask what the other ants smell on the ground.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grade 1, or see the ELPAC practice test for grade 1. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the California Department of Education or the official ELPAC program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published task formats.